spacetoday.net: Stratolaunch announced hypersonic vehicle plans

Posted: Fri, Apr 3, 2020, 2:35 PM ET (1835 GMT)
Stratolaunch Talon-A hypersonic vehicle (Stratolaunch)

Stratolaunch unveiled a reusable hypersonic vehicle the company is developing. The Talon-A will be launched from the company's giant aircraft and be able to fly up to Mach 7 before gliding back to a runway landing. The company describes the vehicle as a "flexible, high-speed test bed" for a variety of hypersonics research for government agencies and companies. The vehicle will be ready for initial flights in 2022 and, by 2023, could be flown three at a time on a single Stratolaunch aircraft flight. The company, which said earlier this year it was pivoting from orbital launch services to high-speed flight test services, said it has plans for a second hypersonic vehicle, Talon-Z, and a reusable spaceplane called Black Ice, but did not disclose a timetable for either vehicle.